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Elham Shahbazyan (Tools to Develop Listening)
Digital tools for developing Listening skills 25 JanDuring this week, I have come across an awesome variety of digital tools for developing students’ listening skills. I have worked in EFL/ESL contexts before so I will list the tools appropriate for this context first. ESL CONTEXT I exploredListen and write which is an online tool that allows students to listen to a news item. They can listen to the whole story and then listen to parts of it while typing the story. They can have the excerpt repeated many times which allows for developing listening for detail. I found this tool was quite specific and accommodated an old-fashioned theory of language learning. I would only use it for a specific purpose. I also had a look at other tools for ESL listening skill development called “Backbone” and Amny interactive. Both websites allows students to listen to a whole text to get the general idea of it (listening for gist). I liked Backbone because as a teacher you could choose one of the stories of everyday people and do some comprehension activities on it. They come with a few options to just play a video, or the audio and you can also get the script for it. Under resources, there are a couple of other activities teachers could choose to use with some of the stories. On the Amny interactive site, although it is quite “interactive”, I find the site only focuses on allowing students to listen to a variety of English (NY American English) which is quite restrictive. However, it could be useful for teachers whose students will be travelling to NY for example L1 CONTEXT I teach in Primary schools and High schools. In Sydney, primary students do literacy, numeracy, science and physical education (I have simplified this for better understanding). I found a couple of tools that may be useful to develop children’s listening skills in L1.One of them is Wordia. Using this tool, students can watch an excerpt on a topic (topics are also arranged into Subjects, which is quite handy), and do some activities such as games and spelling activities. I really like the “make my own game” question which allows this website to go beyond the little kiddies practice website to permit older students (years 6-8) to make their own games. I really liked theSmories website and was dreaming about applications in Primary school. I think kids will be really engaged with these stories, developed to make their imagination fly, with no pictures! Stories could also be embedded on lessons prepared on the interactive whiteboard which will allow students to practice other skills smoothly. I loved Smories! I also enjoyed experiencing the “Teaching with TED” wiki since it comprises both TED talks and activities for each talk to explore with mature students. I would certainly use some of these talks with HS English students to develop listening skills and also to discuss, argue a point, develop critical thinking, etc. I also discoved “TIME 10 questions” which I didn’t know it existed either, and would use the “Robin Williams” one on how to conjure up a character in a Drama unit. Very interesting! Section heading it. Very interesting! http://www.smories.com/ Smories. Listen to stories read by kids Section heading =Peak Performance Listening According To Experts= One of the most useful skills for a leader is the ability to listen actively and effectively. When everything is said and done, listening is the only way to really understand how a person feels, and thus assist that person in finding his or her motivation. The following is a synopsis of an audio-cassette program dealing with the various concepts involved in listening effectively. Applying these concepts increases the potential for successful communication. Effective Listening Skills In his program Effective Listening Skills, CareerTrack 1993, Ron Meiss tells us that listening is one of the least taught skills. Is it any wonder that most of us are chronically poor listeners? In an effort to guide us on the road to recovery from this potentially deadly disease, Ron shares insights and techniques to ensure a permanent cure. 7 Principles of Communication 1. Communication is a complex process which is at work 100 percent of the time. 2. What the listener understands is regulated by his/her perception, and not by the speaker's intent. 3. Communication happens only if we focus our senses on the activities related to it. 4. As communication skills increase, stress decreases. 5. Effective listening is one of the most poorly taught skills. 6. Good communication depends on attitude (habit of thought) and is a learned skill. 7. Communication is not a contract but a covenant: each must take 100% responsibility Key Concepts of Verbal Reception Hearing is physiological Listening is psychological Hearing happens Listening is a choice Skills of Effective Listening 1. Assisting the speaker o openers - questions, statements, initiating comments o encouragers - voice signals or gestures expressing a desire to hear more o appropriate questions - open-ended queries to draw out the speaker o involved silence - using powerful attentive silence to signify listening 2. Here is a recipe to guarantee Peak Performance Listening with your whole body: L '''- '''Lean towards the speaker I '''- '''Involved posture, facing squarely S '''- '''Smile to connect with the speaker T '''- '''Territory, distance from the speaker E '''- '''Eye contact, at least 60 percent of the time N '''- '''Non-distracting gestures to help communication 3. Mirroring the speaker: paraphrasing the thoughts in a way that imitates the sense used to originate the communication; o visual - picture words, eye related o auditory - linked to meaning, sound words o kinesthetic - linked to feeling, words expressing feelings 4. Avoiding distractions (visual, sounds, feelings) that would take the listener's focus away from the intended message. The Duties of Communication SPEAKER LISTENER ' Speak loudly Hear the verbal message' Speak clearly Strive to understand the words Address the listener's interests Express/find interest in the message Be specific Listen for the main ideas Recipe for Effective Listening Skills Development 1. Make a plan to take one or two actions which will improve your listening skills. More than two may result in dropping the plan before the end. 2. For 30 days, practice this action every time the situation arises. A new habit normally is developed in 20-30 days. Attitudes to Promote Effective Listening 1. Listen to everyone as if there was going to be a test once the communication is complete. 2. To really adjust your perception to the intent of the speaker, listen to how the person feels. Quotes to Remember "When I listen, I have the power. When I speak, I give it away." (Voltaire) "What people want is for you to listen to how they feel." Ron Willingham "Listening is one of the most poorly taught skills." Ron Meiss